Decreasing Inappropriate Behaviors
Vicarious reinforcement refers to a process where the student who is engaging in inappropriate classroom behaviors is ignored while other students in close proximity who are engaging in desirable classroom behaviors are reinforced, thereby providing a vicarious prompt of the desirable conduct for the misbehaving student.
Extinction refers to a process where reinforcement (e.g. teacher or peer attention) that previously maintained a specific inappropriate behavior is withheld to encourage the student to behave appropriately.
Punishment refers to a process where an aversive consequence (e.g. reprimand) or a valued commodity is withheld to discourage students from engaging in inappropriate classroom behaviors. Examples of strategies that may be considered punishing include:
- Response Cost (mild form of punishment), which involves removing a certain amount of reinforcement when a student misbehaves (e.g., revoking privileges, paying a fine, etc.).
In implementing a response cost procedure, special and general educators should:
- Define the inappropriate behavior (in observable terms) that will result in fines;
- Specify the magnitude of the fine (e.g., “You will lose one point each time you misbehave”), ensuring the fine is proportionate with the misbehavior;
- Impose the fine immediately after the misbehavior occurs;
- Ensure students don’t lose more points than they earn (students should earn 3-5 points for behaving appropriately for every 1 point they lose for misbehaving);
- Keep records on the occurrence of the misbehavior and the number of points the student lost; and be aware of unexpected outcomes – fining may actually be reinforcing instead of punishing the student; and/or the student may refuse to relinquish the positive reinforcer; and
- Ensure they don’t overuse response cost.
- Time-Out refers to the removal of students from the environment in which they are misbehaving (e.g., asking a student to sit in the hallway). In using time-out, educators should:
- Have specified written procedures for using time-out, and ensure students understand beforehand the behaviors that will lead to time-out.
- Never place students in time-out without a good reason.
- Have adequate time-out facilities.
- Ensure time spent in time-out is not disproportionate in relation to the offense.
- Remember that leaving students in time-out for prolonged periods of time with no educational provisions may violate their rights.
Examples of Levels of time-out you can use include:
- Planned Ignoring: Purposely ignore the misbehavior the student engages in (extinction) as long as all other reinforcers are removed and the behavior is not dangerous.
- Reduction of response maintenance stimuli: Extinguish the environmental stimuli that are maintaining the misbehavior (e.g. peer attention) and only reintroduce them when students perform appropriate behaviors.
- Planned ignoring plus restraint: Physically hold the student while simultaneously withholding all other reinforcers (e.g. when a student is having a tantrum). Be careful if you use this approach.
- Contingent Observation: Move the student who misbehaves away from the activity in which the misbehavior occurs to a place where the student can observe but not participate in the activity, ensuring all reinforcement is withheld during this time. (e.g. sit quietly or put your materials away).
- Exclusion: Physically remove the student from the time-in setting (e.g., having the student sit in the hallway or a study carrel). Make sure this is not reinforcing to the child.
- Seclusion: (most restrictive time-out procedure): Place students in a specially constructed room that has a locked door (for aggressive behavior).
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